Finally winning an All-Ireland should act as a springboard for Counihan’s talented squad after a first half that looked set to leave the dream in ruins

IT WASN’T a final that reflected the fantastic championship we had this year, but should Cork care? Not in the slightest. All-Ireland medal winners are rare beasts down there. It’s an honour that could transform a few players in the future and provide the foundations for Cork to kick on in the next few years. But for a while last Sunday, it looked like all that was going to be left in ruins.

It was agonising to watch Cork in the first half. Once again they seemed incapable of expressing themselves and consistently took the wrong options. Given their supremacy around centrefield and their experience, Cork should’ve been at least seven points up by half time. Instead, they didn’t stamp their authority on the game until well into the second half and made life unbearably difficult for themselves in the meantime.